Hi, i was wondering if anyone else has had this or knows what might have been wrong?
My four year old chinchilla died suddenly yesterday he seemed fine he was eating, going in his dust bath the day before he had been out playing but when i came to feed them yesterday i found him dead.
He has had teeth problems before but had them grinded down by the vet, he hasn't lost any weight recently so i don't think this was the problem. He did have slight matted fur around the side of his chin but again i think this was down to his teeth, he did go to the vets not long ago who seemed to think he was fine.
I am just really shocked and confused as to why he died i was expecting him to live 10-15 years.
Help anyone?

orry I have no experiance of chinchillas, I'm very sorry for your loss, you could always ask your vet to carry out a postmortem to put your mind at rest

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I am sorry for your loss, chinchillas can live into their teens and four is too young to die

It is not unusual for healthy looking chinchillas to die suddenly - in the wild, they can not show any sign of weakness as they will become easy prey for the hunters. I think this trait has been passed down to pet chinchillas as often they show little outward signs of pain until it is too late.

I`v kept chinchillas for the last 25 years. The ones i have lost always seemed to be fine one minute then dead. My mum & dads chinchilla suddenly became unwell too, they rang the vets immediately & he died while they were on the phone to the vet, 4 is young but it does happen. So sorry for your loss.

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4 working cockers dexter 7, dizzy 3, murphy 2, charlie 1 and Eccles the dalmatian
5 cats cleo, katie & mickey (all 11) Merlin & Starr MC`s kittens
4 chinchillas (ranging from 19 to 4 yrs)
2 red foot tortoises
tropical fish in 6ft tank

Sprocket the rocket....(hamster) RIP


Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened.
Anatole France
www.clarevilloscockers.co.uk

I have always been told that when a chin is poorly, they will show hardly any signs until it is nearly too late. Maybe your chinnies teeth problem could of me worse than realised, did the vet just file the teeth down or did he do an xray aswell ?? Sometimes the signs are not always there and also what was you feeding and treats and such ??

Losing a pet is always a horrible experience and you never think anything will go wrong, i am really sorry for your loss.